


Finding Something Good

by chissprincess



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, One Shot, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-30
Updated: 2013-10-30
Packaged: 2017-12-30 22:16:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1024016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chissprincess/pseuds/chissprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thrawn and Ar'alani have a history -- a steamy history. This is part of it. (Takes place before Thrawn joins the Empire.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finding Something Good

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a sort of tie-in to my other Thrawn fic, Undying, where this little incident is mentioned but never described in detail. You don't need to read this to understand Undying, and you don't need to read Undying to understand this. They just work well together. Here, have some smut with a touch of plot thrown in!

     _When even the members of the High Command look bored, you_ know _the event is drier than the deserts on Sarvchi’s moons._

     Mitth’raw’uruodo was mostly focused on one of his commanding officers, Admiral Ar’alani. Of all the commanders and politicians in the room right now, he respected her the most. They didn’t always see eye to eye on everything, of course, but he felt that there was a definite undercurrent of mutual respect between them, and she did seem to support him more often than not. Thrawn new full well that many of the things he had accomplished would never have worked out if she had decided to really interfere. She would never be able to publically support his more unorthodox tactics – not if she wanted to keep her own position, anyway – but the lack of interference spoke volumes.

     So when even Ar’alani looked like she was going to fall asleep, Thrawn saw that as a bad sign.

     Admittedly enough, the Aristocra of House Sabosen had been droning on in a horrible monotone for the past hour already and showed no signs of letting up. Thrawn was beginning to wonder if this was on purpose. Perhaps he was trying out some knew hypnosis technique. _I wonder what will happen once we all fall asleep. Perhaps from now on any time we hear an alarm we will all begin to dance like drugged mynocks. Ooh, I’m on to you, Aristocra._

     He continued to amuse himself with internal commentary through the remaining forty-five minutes of the droning presentation, applauded politely with everyone else, and prepared to leave. And that was that, another Convocation successfully completed. All that was left to do now was to collect his things and –

     “Commander.”

     -- and acknowledge that the Admiral had spoken to him. He turned and gave her a crisp bow. “Admiral Ar’alani.”

     “I noticed you listening to the Aristocra’s presentation with rapt attention,” she said dryly. The corner of her mouth twitched in the smallest of smiles.

     “Indeed, I found the topic fascinating,” Thrawn replied just as dryly. He raised an eyebrow, just a bit, and Ar’alani gave an almost imperceptible head shake. That confirmed it. She was being sarcastic and knew Thrawn was too. But she clearly hadn’t come up here just to exchange witty banter with her subordinate. “Is there anything I can do for you before returning to the _Springhawk_ , Admiral?”

     “There is,” she said, and motioned for Thrawn to walk with her. He collected his things from his seat and followed her, keeping to her right and just a step behind her as decorum required. “I have sent orders delaying your return to the _Springhawk_ in anticipation of you acceptance of my invitation,” she said. “And I want to be clear, Commander – it is a true invitation. You are in no way obligated to accept.”

     Thrawn thought that was unusual. Usually an “invitation” from someone of Ar’alani’s rank was indeed an order cloaked in pleasant language. He was intrigued. “Of course, Admiral.”

     “As I’m sure you are aware, there is a large dinner tonight for the High Command and the highest ranking members of the political structure. I believe your brother is attending.”

     Thrawn nodded. As a Syndic, Thrass usually got pushed into these kinds of events, especially since he had caught the attention of the aging Mitth Aristocra. Thrass often attended such functions as the Aristocra’s representative. “I believe you are correct,” he replied.

    Ar’alani stepped out of the flow of traffic as they exited the grand auditorium and paused. Thrawn stopped beside her, hands clasped behind his back as he respectfully waited for her to speak. Finally, she said, “I will be blunt with you, Commander, I hate such functions and feel they are a waste of time. But as an Admiral I am obligated to attend. I usually go with an old friend of mine, who felt the same way about such events. We kept each other sane and occupied. But...she was killed in battle earlier this year, and as a result I am stuck with nobody to accompany me.” She paused and glanced around to make sure nobody was close enough to listen in, then lowered her voice and continued, “As shameful as it is I can’t bear the thought of going alone tonight, but of course I have no choice but to attend. I was wondering if you would be willing to accompany me in her place.”

     “I see no shame in admitting when something is difficult,” Thrawn said. “Of course it would be an honor to accompany you.”

     “Then please meet me here at seventeen forty-five,” she said, once again all business. “And wear your dress uniform. The most formal one.”

     “Of course.” Thrawn sketched a quick bow before going off to make sure he had even brought said most formal dress uniform with him.

 

***   ***   ***

 

      Thrawn arrived at the appointed place at the appointed time. The dinner was being held one level up from the auditorium, in a large hall surrounded by a lovely garden, but plenty of people were mingling about on the auditorium level while they waited for friends and colleagues they hadn’t seen in a long time. Thrawn greeted a few people he knew, mostly superiors who were surprised to see him there (Commanders didn’t usually come to this dinner, after all), and waited patiently for the Admiral after searching for her and noting that she wasn’t there yet.

     “I thought you were joking when you told me about this earlier.”

     Thrawn turned and raised an eyebrow at his brother. “And why would I ever joke about something like this, Thrass?” he asked.

     “That’s Syndic, Commander,” Thrass teased. “At least in this crowd. And I don’t know. I suppose it’s because you just don’t seem like the partying type.”

     “I’m not,” Thrawn replied. “You haven’t seen the Admiral, have you?”

     Thrass shook his head. “No, I don’t think she’s here yet. I’m sure she’ll find you when she arrives.”

     Thrawn just nodded a bit and let Thrass take his leave to go schmooze with the other politicians. He continued observing the people around him, and was in fact so absorbed with doing so that at first he didn’t even notice when Ar’alani arrived. It wasn’t until he turned around and saw her making her way through the crowd towards him that he even noticed her, and it wasn’t until she was within a few feet of him that he realized it was in fact her. After all, he wasn’t used to seeing her with her hair in anything but a simple bun or twist, and he didn’t think he had ever seen her out of uniform. Seeing her with her hair arranged in elaborate loops and braids, and dressed in an elegant white sheath dress in place of her usual uniform, was something of a shock.

      He stared at her for a moment, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise, but quickly came to his senses and inclined his head in a polite bow as she stopped in front of him. “Admiral,” he said. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

      “Commander,” she replied, eyes fixed for a moment on his chest. “I had forgotten how many honors and medals you have already managed to earn,” she said.

      Thrawn smiled a little. “And you made me fight for every one of them,” he pointed out. Chiss didn’t give out medals lightly to begin with, and Ar’alani was notorious for putting her subordinates through quite the trial to get so much as a single one. He offered her his arm. “Shall we? I understand the gardens upstairs are lovely. Much nicer than here.”

      She took his elbow and nodded. “That’s right,” she said. “Being in such an art-impoverished environment as this lobby must be physically painful for you.”

     Thrawn choked back a laugh. “Am I really so bad?” he asked.

     “On the contrary, I like a cultured man,” she said. “I have no idea how they get away with having nothing but bare walls down here. It’s really a shame.”

     They made their way up the stairs to the hall, but they bypassed the main entrance entirely and instead went outside into the actual garden. “It was quite stuffy inside,” Thrawn commented.

     Ar’alani just nodded as she studied the plants. “Yes...” she finally said. “Much like this dinner will be.”

      “Aren’t all dinner parties stuffy?” Thrawn asked.

      “Yes, but this is the worst,” she replied. She glanced up at Thrawn. “You were born a commoner, weren’t you?”

      “I was,” he said. “We don’t have many dinner parties out in the townships.”

      “You aren’t missing a thing, I assure you,” she said, giving his arm a quick pat. “I pity the day you earn a high enough promotion to be forced into attending these things.”

      Thrawn grinned at her. “It’s me you’re talking to, Admiral, if anyone can find a way out of these events it would be me, don’t you think?”

      She laughed. “I suppose so.”

      Before Thrawn could answer, the chime signaling the start of dinner sounded, and they had to go back inside. Ar’alani showed him to their seats. Thrawn felt a twinge of disappointment that Thrass wasn’t at their table, but resolved not to show it. He was here for the Admiral, not himself, and he wasn’t going to let her down.

 

***   ***   ***

 

     Several hours, ten courses, and well over a dozen discussions about the merits of various famous Chiss artists and their most famous works later, and the dinner party was finally starting to wind down. Some people were wandering in the garden, others had retreated to various corners of the room for more private conversations, and still others had left entirely. Thrawn finished his last cup of spicy, creamy tea, then turned to Ar’alani, who was patiently waiting for him. “I’ve kept you waiting, haven’t I?” he asked.

     She shook her head. “On the contrary. All I have to do now is return to my temporary quarters for the night. I’m in no rush for that.”

      “I see,” he said. “Nothing exciting to do there?”

      “Nothing anywhere near as exciting as listening to you shame three Aristocras, a General, and two Rear Admirals into silence on the subject of art,” she said, lips twitching in a smile again. “I’m sure they won’t even think about discussing art with anyone for months to come, at the very least. How did you ever learn so much about it?”

     He shrugged a little. “My father had a lot of books. I learned to read at an early age, and quickly ran out of children’s books to read, so I moved on to the things in his library. And when I exhausted those, I moved on to the public libraries, and then on to the Academy libraries when I went to the Academy.”

     “But you never studied it formally?”

     “No, I never had the chance.”

     Ar’alani leaned back in her seat and studied Thrawn intently. “...And yet, you just...Goodness.” She shook her head and set her napkin back on the table. “I admit, you impress me with things like that. These things that come so easily to you, that others have to study and study and struggle over.”

     Thrawn smiled a little. “I’m sure there are things I struggle over that come easily to you,” he said. “There’s a reason you’re still my superior and not my subordinate.”

     “There must be some truth to that,” she replied. “Well. Let’s be going then. I see no reason to stay around here all night.”

     Thrawn stood and waited patiently for her. She took his arm again and they made their way through the crowd to the exit, pausing to say their goodbyes along the way. They had made it all the way back down the stairs and to the lobby when Ar’alani paused and pulled Thrawn aside.

     “I’m going to be forward,” she said. Thrawn just tilted his head curiously, and she continued, “I didn’t just ask you here tonight because I needed a random person to take my late friend’s place. I asked _you_ specifically because I was hoping you might...indulge me a little. We’ve gotten this far with no mishaps, so I may as well go ahead and ask you for the rest.”

      Thrawn raised an eyebrow. He had an idea of where this was going. “I would have thought someone like you would have a regular partner already.”

      Ar’alani seemed surprised, and for a moment Thrawn thought he had miscalculated, but she just shook her head and chuckled. “Are you ever _not_ a step ahead of everyone around you? But no. I do not. I’m sure you can understand the circumstances that make it difficult to have a partner of any kind.”

     “I do,” he replied. “So the question is, are you asking about just one night, or for a more long-term arrangement?”

      Her head snapped up and her eyes widened. “An arrangement?”

     “I saw no harm in asking,” he said. “Forgive me if I have assumed something that isn’t being offered.”

     “I’m not upset. I’m surprised. You are notoriously picky.”

      Thrawn chuckled. “As are you. So let’s speak plainly. I am not against either a one-night or long-term arrangement. You are attractive, in many ways. But I’m sure you can understand the many things that made it impossible for me to approach you before.”

      Ar’alani just blinked at him in astonishment for a moment. “And here I was bracing myself for your rejection,” she finally muttered. “In that case, Commander,” she paused just long enough to fish a small card out of her clutch, “you can find me at this address tonight, assuming you don’t change your mind. But give me at least a fifteen-minute head start. These infernal braids take forever to loosen and I absolutely refuse to leave them in all night.”

      “Of course,” Thrawn said. He watched her go, being careful not to admire too openly. Others were moving through the lobby, and while he knew that he and Ar’alani wouldn’t get in trouble if they were caught, there could be problems if they were too obvious about it. He waiting in the lobby for a few minutes, then left to occupy himself before going to the Admiral’s quarters.

 

***   ***   ***

 

     Thrawn gave her a good half an hour to prepare before arriving at her door, bearing a bottle of fine wine. As it turned out, the Admiral was staying in a fine hotel in one of the wealthier parts of Csaplar. Nobody questioned Thrawn as he entered or went up to the proper floor, and the hall was empty as he made his way to her room. Once there, he pushed the button on the control panel on the door jamb, and he could faintly hear the chime sounding inside. A few moments later, the door slid open, and he stepped into a small but well-appointed sitting room. He looked around as the door slid shut behind him, then set the wine down on a table with two chairs beside it and made his way to the bedroom. He knocked quietly on that door to give her some warning before stepping inside, but Ar’alani wasn’t in there either. Thrawn was beginning to think he had succumbed to some horrible trick when he noticed the door that led onto a small balcony overlooking a garden. And there, standing on the balcony in the fading artificial sunlight, was Ar’alani.

     Thrawn had seen and been with his share of attractive women, but even so the sight of the Admiral made his breath catch in his throat for a moment. She had indeed let her hair out of the elaborate style she had worn all through dinner, and it fell in shiny, loose waves down her back, the ends skimming her hips when she moved. She had abandoned her white dress as well, replacing it with a dressing gown in multiple layers of sheer light-grey fabric. The layers were just opaque enough that he couldn’t make out any details, but just thin enough that he could clearly see her shape beneath the fabric. The uniform clearly hid just how shapely she really was. Thrawn thought she could have easily been a classical sculpture or painting come to life, with her slender shoulders and a narrow waist above full hips and shapely legs.

     And that was just what he could see from the back.

     He finally made his way to the balcony, knocking on that door as well so she wouldn’t be too startled. She turned a bit to look at him as he joined her. “I was wondering if you had second thoughts,” she said.

      “If I had, I would have called you,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you had time to get comfortable.”

     She nodded a bit and turned her attention back to the garden. It spanned the entire back section of the hotel, and every room in the place looked out over it. Ar’alani’s room was directly across from a small natural waterfall that fell from a rock high above them and created a pool around which the rest of the garden had been built. She was studying the waterfall now, watching the water sparkle as the artificial sunlight slowly dimmed and then faded away. Finally, she turned to Thrawn and nodded to the indoors. “We should go in,” she said. “Unless you have an exhibitionist streak I wasn’t aware of.”

     Thrawn just shook his head and laughed a little. “I don’t. And even if I did, now would hardly be the time to indulge it.”

     Ar’alani stepped into the room and made her way straight to the bed. Thrawn paused long enough to close the door and the privacy curtain over it, then turned back to her. “How long as it been since you last did something like this?” he asked her.

      “...I don’t recall,” she said. “A long time.” She sat on the edge of the bed, one finger picking absent-mindedly at the elaborate embroidery on the thick blanket beneath her.

     “Are you nervous?” Thrawn asked. At first she didn’t reply, but then she nodded slowly. He knew that must have been hard for me to admit, so he went to the bed and crouched in front of her, taking both of her hands in his. “It’s alright,” he said. “If we weren’t nervous about first times like this I would think there was something wrong with us. Like it or not, it _is_ going to change our relationship.”

      She nodded a bit and smiled. “You understand these things so well. Do I want to know how?”

     “Experience,” he said. “Observations. Common sense.” He stood up and gently pulled her with him. “There’s no need to rush. We have all night and well into tomorrow. So let’s just enjoy it and go as far as we feel like.”

     “I approve of this plan,” she said. “But if I hear my title out of your mouth at all it’s going to ruin the mood, so don’t call me Admiral after this. Just...Ar’alani.”

     “Of course,” he replied. “Ar’alani.” The sound of him saying her name made her shiver a little, and he grinned. “There, see, off to a good start already.”

     “Hush, you,” she teased, and stood on her toes to give him a tentative kiss. Thrawn dropped her hands and wrapped his arms around her, one going tightly around her waist and the other around her upper back, his hand resting gently on the back of her neck. He deepened the kiss as she hugged him in return, her fingers curling around handfuls of his jacket. When they finally broke the kiss, she immediately slid her hands over his shoulders to his chest. Her fingers made quick work of the clasps holding his jacket shut, and she pushed it off of his shoulders, revealing the tight shirt he wore underneath it. Thrawn let go of her long enough to shrug out of the jacket and toss it aside, then pulled her close for another kiss.

     Her next target was his shirt, which she managed to dispose of quickly with his cooperation. Once it was out of the way, she ran her hands lightly over his torso, her fingers exploring every inch she could reach. Thrawn watched her, his own hands rested on her hips, and finally bent down just enough to kiss along her neck. She gasped a little and tilted her head to expose more of her neck to him, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders and squeezing a little when he paused to flick his tongue over one spot. Finally, though, he pulled back and looked at her, eyes sparkling in the dim light.

     “This is so unfair,” he murmured. “Here I am in nothing but my pants and boots and you’re still fully covered.” He studied the closures on her dressing gown. Each layer had its own closures, with the outermost layer held in place by a thick tie and the inner layers closed with thin buttons. He untied the first layer and pushed it aside, resting his hands back on her hips for a moment again to gauge her reaction. She didn’t protest, and when she noticed he was waiting she caught his eye and nodded. Thrawn made quick work of two of the three remaining layers, then paused again. He could clearly make out her form through the one remaining, thin layer, and he wanted to admire what he saw. She really was like something out of a painting, with full breasts and a body that was muscular in the same sleek, graceful way that a dancer was muscular. “Beautiful,” he said softly. She blushed a little and bit her lip. Thrawn glanced around the room, and was quiet pleased to notice a full-length mirror on the nearest wall. He gently urged her to turn towards it, and though she seemed a little confused, she complied. Thrawn moved so he was behind her, and gently rested his hands on her stomach for a moment before he did anything else.

     He started moving his hands on her, ghosting them over her stomach and hips, moving them up to cup her breasts through the single layer of fabric still covering her, then down to brush over her thighs. She gasped and leaned back against him, and he went back to kissing along her neck as he brought his hands up one more time. This time, though, he worked at the final set of clasps holding her dressing gown in place. Once he had it open, he tilted his head a bit and whispered, “Still alright?” to her. She nodded and let her eyes flutter half-way shut. Thrawn kissed her cheek, then began touching her again, his hands gentle as they moved over her body. Each touch pulled a soft sigh or moan from her, and she gasped when his hands moved to her breasts again. He cupped them gently, rubbing the pads of his thumbs over her nipples as he did, then dropped one hand to slide down her torso to her legs. He rested it on her thigh for a second, watching her to make sure she was still comfortable, and then slowly slid his hand between her legs.

    She gasps and jumped a little, one hand flying up and back to grab Thrawn’s neck. “Should I stop?” he asked.

     “Don’t you dare,” she hissed in reply. He chuckled a little and brushed his fingers over her, touching lightly at first. After a short time, it became obvious that she was desperate for more, and he pressed the tip of one finger to her clit, rubbing in slow circles. She gasped and moaned, her fingernails digging into his neck as she grabbed at him. Her free hand flew up to rest over his where he still cupped her breast. He gradually rubbed faster, changing the pace and the way he moved in response to her reactions. “I’m...ooh...close...” she finally moaned. Thrawn nodded and worked for a moment longer, then stopped.

     Ar’alani let out a confused little squeak and blinked at him. Thrawn kissed her neck once more, then picked her up and carried her back to the bed. She clung to his neck as he did. “What’s this?” she asked. He set her down carefully and kissed her before standing up long enough to remove his boots and pants, freeing his erection. Ar’alani stared for a moment, eyes fixed on his length before shifting to take in his entire form. “Ah,” she finally said. “I understand now.”

     It was Thrawn’s turn to blush. He wasn’t used to being studied so closely. But he joined her in the bed, and as she lay back against the pillows she beckoned for him to lay over her. He settled himself between her legs, bracing himself over her with both hands, and they kissed. He let out a low, pleased rumble as she slid her hands from his shoulders down his back to his rear and squeezed. The rumble turned to a happy moan when one of her hands closed around his length and stroked, slowly and steadily. “Oooh...” he rocked his hips a little, thrusting into her hand, and she grinned.

     “Anytime you’re ready,” she said. She spread her legs just a bit more and brought both of her hands up to rest on the pillows under her. Thrawn nodded and pushed a bit of hair out of her face, then used one hand to guide himself as he pushed into her.

     Both gasped, and Ar’alani arched her back and moaned, hands gripping the pillows as she did. Force, but Thrawn was big, and it had been a while since she had been with anyone. She wasn’t complaining, though. As far as she was concerned, his size just meant he hit all the right spots without even really trying. But of course this was Thrawn, and he didn’t do anything half-way. Which meant that when he finally started to thrust in her, every movement sent waves of pleasure though her.

      She wrapped her legs around his hips and gripped his shoulders again, pulling him closer for a deep kiss. He was more than happy to comply, and he gently nipped at her lower lip before returning the kiss with every ounce of energy and passion he could muster. Ar’alani groaned and writhed beneath him, rocking her hips up to meet his thrusts. Before long, his movements became less steady and his breathing became ragged, signaling that his own climax was near. “Go on,” she urged him, “you can be a little rough.” Her permission was all he needed to let himself go, and within moments, both were crying out in pleasure as they came.

     Thrawn shuddered and collapsed on top of her, resting his forehead on her shoulder as he tried to regain enough energy and composure to move. Ar’alani reached up with one hand to gently stroke his hair, gently pushing a few strands off of his forehead. After a short time, Thrawn was able to move, and he rolled over to lay next to her.

     “Where did you learn to do that?” she asked him.

     He raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you really want to know?”

      “Probably not,” she said, and laughed a little. “But thank you. That was...damn. Even better than what I hoped for.”

     He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Honestly, until I was here, I didn’t even realize how much I was in need of this myself,” he said.

     “You push yourself too hard,” she said.

     “And you don’t?” he asked.

     “Well...I do too,” she admitted. “But I have to. We all do.”

      Thrawn nodded a little. “Can I ask you a question?”

     “You just did,” she countered. When he rolled his eyes, she just laughed and said, “Of course you can.”

      Thrawn nodded. “What’s your name? I mean your full, real name. I know you technically have to give it up because of your position, but you’ll go back to it when you retire...”

     “And why do you want to know that?” she asked.

     “Because I just had the best sex I’ve ever had with you and I would like to know?” he countered.

     She laughed, mostly to cover her surprise, and said, “Alright, that’s fair. My core name is Iara. Can you figure it out from there?”

      Thrawn pondered, turning options over in his head. “Is it one of the Rule Families?” he asked. “Since you clearly aren’t getting Iara out of either Mitth or Nuruodo and only someone from another Ruling Family wouldn’t have become one of their merit adoptives.”

     “Correct.”

     “Then that just leaves Inronkini. Inonkini’ar’alani.”

     She nodded and shifted closer to put her head on his shoulder. “Very good,” she said.

     “And that’s why you work so hard? You feel like you have to prove yourself.”

     “Every damn day,” she said. She raised her head to look at him and tapped the tip of his nose. “Especially with you coming up the ranks behind me.”

     He laughed a little and shook his head. “I will never be your superior officer. You don’t have to worry about that.”

      “No...but you’ll be other things to me, right?”

     Thrawn nodded. “For as long as we can both maintain it, yes.”

     “Good. Because once I find something good, I don’t like to let it go.”


End file.
